international, 15 February 1968 211
AIRTRANSPORT
Transatlantic Hearings: Final Stages
BEFORE THE ATLB ADJOURNED on the twelfth day of thetransatlantic hearing there was a crumb of comfort forthose who think these things take a long time. Mr L. N.
Bebchick, Caledonian's American lawyer, revealed that a case
such as this could take two to three years to complete its
course before the CAB.
The rest of the day had been taken up with four witnesses
on behalf of Caledonian. The first was the chief executive of
the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, Mr Booth. The
Chamber supported the establishment of transatlantic air
services from Birmingham. He said that an independent study
showed the Birmingham area as being second only to London
as the point of origin of dry cargo exported from the UK,
yet it had no air services on which to ship it direct.
The ability of Caledonian to operate transatlantic schedules
from the point of view of operational capability and financial
strength are what their case is really about, however. Mr A. G.
Bartlett, the company's planning manager, gave evidence, sup-
ported by extensive "exhibits," of his projected North Atlantic
programme for the next five years, on the assumption that the
applications are granted. Three 32OCs are to be introduced by
the end of 1968 and a fourth aircraft will enter the operation
by the early seventies. This programme revealed a gradual
reduction in charter operations as the scheduled services
developed.
In his examination, Mr P. Webster, oc, for Eagle, cast doubt
on Caledonian's ability to achieve the required utilisation of
over 4,000hr a year with the 32OCs. Eagle expect only 3,5OOhr
from theirs and BO AC were proud to average lO^hr per day.
On the following day, however, Mr Bebchick had a computer-
produced list, received overnight from Boeing, detailing ten
American operators of 320s who achieved well over 4,000hr
per aircraft in 1967.
In examining Capt S. A. Calder, Caledonian's operations
and maintenance director, the two objectors returned to the
point of utilisation in the light of the airline's maintenance
arrangements, which are based on a contract with Sabena
involving all checks and a large part of the spares holding
being in Brussels. This was by way of a preliminary to the
appearance of Mr Adam Thomson, Caledonian chairman, who
was going to have to provide the answers to many vital ques-
tions. He had to wait until the thirteenth day of the hearing
and before this, at the end of the 12th day, Mr Bebchick made
a significant plea to the ATLB. He asked them to consider the
benefits to the UK of having an operator on the North Atlantic
with unrestricted charter rights and willing to take advantage
of the fact. This would be the case if Caledonian were licenced
as a scheduled carrier because the restrictions of a CAB charter
operator's certificate would then no longer apply. They would
be in a position to carry much of the traffic between North
America and Europe at present taken by foreign companies.
When Mr Thomson finally arrived in the witness chair he
was immediately asked why the company wanted scheduled
services when they would apparently adversely affect its profit-
able charter business. In reply, he said that while the airline
could exist on charter work for the foreseeable future he
As scheduled, the initial 80min flight of the first production BAC Qne-£/even 500 (G-AVMH) for BEA was made on February 7 from
Hum, Bournemouth—ten weeks ahead of the originally planned date